BATON ROUGE — An East Baton Rouge Parish judge on Friday ordered Metro Council member Cleve Dunn to pay his neighbors $20,725.38 after a dispute over a property line, a fence and a cabana.

Donna and Eugene Michelli had sued Dunn, saying construction of his fence and cabana caused their home to flood in May 2021. Dunn said at a court hearing this year that he began construction without obtaining the necessary permits, but said he did so believing he was only replacing existing structures.

Inspectors flagged violations, and the Michellis sued, and Dunn said there was increased scrutiny because he sits on the Metro Council. Baton Rouge suffered a heavy storm in May 2021, and Dunn's lawyer Edmond Jordan said the Michellis' home would have flooded regardless of the fence and cabana.

The Michellis' lawyer, Charlotte McDaniel, said that since the cabana had a concrete base, the ground couldn't absorb the water.

Judge Beau Higginbotham, whom Dunn attempted to have removed from the case, ruled for the Michellis. Jordan said he would appeal.

Separately, Dunn was indicted in January on bribery and related charges related to contracts held by the city's bus system.